Trump slaps tariffs on Brazil, Argentina metals – and French champagne
Brazil and Argentina are taking actions that are “not good for our farmers,” said President Trump on Monday, announcing high tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the South American nations. In a separate trade action, the Trump administration proposed additional import duties of up to 100 percent on various types of French cheese and sparkling wine, such as champagne.
Peatlands, not rainforests, hardest hit in Indonesia fires
Forest fires burned 1.64 million hectares across seven provinces of Indonesia this year, with peatlands accounting for 41 percent of the area lost to flames, said the Center for International Forestry Research on Monday.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Water wars move east (Wall Street Journal): Water fights were once the purview of Western farming communities, but the issue is moving east as climate change and development threaten water resources in Florida and Georgia.
French fry shortage looms (Bloomberg): Harsh weather conditions have stunted potato crops, making for a possible french fry shortage in the United States and Canada.
High pay for dairy execs (Journal Sentinel): Former U.S. agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack made nearly $1 million in compensation in 2018 as head of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, records show.
Contract feeding transformed hog industry (Successful Farming): When large-scale contract feeding arrived in Iowa three decades ago, farmers were scrambling for ways to make money after the agricultural recession.
Smallest Australia wheat crop since 2008 (Reuters): Unrelenting drought in eastern Australia will slash wheat the wheat crop, the country’s largest ag export, to 15.9 million tonnes, the smallest crop in 11 years, said government forecasters.
Soy done, corn harvest lags (USDA): Weeks later than usual, the soybean harvest is essentially complete but corn growers have 9 million acres to go, said the weekly Crop Progress report; wintry storms stalled fieldwork in the northwestern Corn Belt last week.
